Parkland hears charter school proposal

Circle of Seasons would emphasize creativity and imagination.

Lehigh Valley parents may have another education option for their children come September, contingent upon Parkland School Board approval.

The board held a public hearing Tuesday night on the proposed Circle of Seasons Charter School, which focuses on an arts-based, Waldorf-methods curriculum.

Under the state charter school law, the board must decide to approve or deny the application for the school in the next 45 to 75 days. If denied, an appeal can be made to the state.

Circle of Seasons founder, Phil Arnold, provided testimony in front of a standing-room-only crowd concerning the school's curriculum, budget and philosophy. Arnold helped found, and served as an administrator at Seven Generations Charter School in Emmaus, but was dismissed from his position in 2010.

If approved, Circle of Seasons would become the state's first public Waldorf charter school. Currently about six private Waldorf schools operate in the state and 180 across the nation. The Waldorf philosophy capitalizes on creativity and imagination, as well as cooperation over competition.

Eugene Schwartz, a Waldorf educator for 25 years, said that the Waldorf curriculum starts students off at a slow pace and accelerates education as grade levels increase. Teachers often do not introduce textbooks until sixth grade.

"We will tell parents at the outset, 'Your child may not be reading at grade level until the end of second grade,'" he said.

Arnold said that the school is seeking approval to operate as a K-12 charter school, however it would begin with Grades K-2 in September.

He said that the school would accept 110 students the first year. According to the application, as of Oct. 27 Circle of Seasons had a total of 160 pre-enrollments for Grades K-2, 16 coming from Parkland.

When demand for enrollment exceeds supply, the school would operate on a lottery-based system. Arnold testified that children of "founding fathers" have first priority, followed by children in Parkland. The spots would then be opened up to children in neighboring districts.

As a charter school, Circle of Seasons cannot charge tuition and would be held accountable by Parkland and the State Department of Education.

Money would be rerouted from the child's school district to Circle of Seasons. The application said that the amount of money the charter would receive per child would go up 3 percent each year.

"In these trying times we're seeing our budgets decrease, not increase," John Vignone, Parkland's director of business administration, said concerning the annual increase.

Arnold said, "The reality is things won't be expensive as we anticipate."

In the original 167-page application submitted to Parkland on Nov. 8, the primary site for the school was set for the 60-acre Manito Farm and Manito Equestrian Center on Cedar Crest Boulevard. However, Arnold said at the hearing that in order for the school to open by September, he has also looked into a former Penn State Lehigh Valley building in Fogelsville that does not require extensive construction.

"Not much can happen until the charter's approved," Arnold said in response to questions posed about the specific location of the charter school. He said he has not yet submitted building plans to South Whitehall Township.

After nearly two hours of testimony and questioning from the board, a number of members from the audience provided statements on the proposed charter school.

Keith Williams of Orefield said it's necessary to instill a sense of competition in young people.

"It concerns me when it says textbooks do not take center stage," he said of the Waldorf curriculum.

However, Williams' concerns were countered by those who said they supported more educational choices for their children.

Nicole Antunes, a Parkland resident, said she recently learned her child was having educational problems in preschool, and did not think a traditional academic path was best for her 3-year-old daughter.

"I feel that my child would be best set in an environment like this [charter]," Antunes said. "With the Waldorf curriculum, you're enabled to excel in certain aspects."

School board President Jayne Bartlett said the board will discuss the Circle of Seasons Charter School application thoroughly and announce its decision at a board meeting.